Worry The Web of Defeat

Much has been written about the vast amount of issues facing each person.
Those who have written concerning the potential impact of these issues
on our lives seem to be more intent on amplifying our worries than suggesting
ways to eliminate them.

We often hear people suggest that life
wasn't as difficult in days gone
by often paraphrasing that famous line that suggests that the good old days
is when we should have been born. Part of this longing for the good
old days
rests in the notion that what we experience today in terms of concerns,
problems either did not exist or were far less significant in years gone by.
Did people worry more about every aspect of life more than we have to,
or is worry a natural human condition much like possessing a common thread
in our DNA? But, is this notion of a calmer, simpler and more worry free days
of old really true? Let's look at a few examples to see if we can determine
the answer.

Security
If we go back in history, we will find the good old days that were fraught
with armed conflicts, unsafe travel conditions over treacherous roads,
or trails, or pathways with many obstacles including the necessity to travers
waterway systems. The amount of time it took to even reach another village
or town was tedious and long. If you lived during these times, would you
be able to say that these times were the best, or would you long to go back
even further in history? Would you worry more about your security in years
past, or would you worry less?

Health
During the seventeen hundreds or eighteen hundreds, if we were to use this
timeframe, would you likely be able to live through one of the many plagues
that were prevalent? Would you survive Scarlet Fever, or pneumonia, or an
injury to your internal organs? Bear in mind, however, that surgical procedures
were often non sterile, and even rather brutal. There were no modern
day antibiotics or modern surgical procedures. And, were you even likely
to be living near a doctor at all, or would you simply have to rely on whatever
medicinal folk lore was known? Again, the question is whether health care
concerns would be less of a worry, or more of a worry?

Does Worrying Help?
I realize that the discussion and questions above about the good old days
may seem a bit ridiculous especially since very few of you, I'm sure, would
not opt to go back in time to live through the experiences of our forbearers.
However, one element of the good old days, even if we choose to isolate
only a few of the documented elements of the good days, that permeates
one's life no matter what century you lived in, or who you were, or what
you possessed was the presence of worry. Similarly, there are many good
times today that could be held up to show how much more enjoyable our
life is due to the many, many advances in medicine, hospitals, food, clothing,
tools and so forth.

So, at this point, let me ask you a question that would pertain to those
living many years ago as well as those living today? Does worry help you
overcome any issue, any problem, or any concern?

I've heard, probably just like you, from many people that they have a lot of difficulty getting a good nights' sleep. When you ask them why they are having difficulty sleeping, they may tell you that it is because they are worrying about some personal or professional issue. Some people, to overcome sleepless nights, resort to taking some kind of sleep medicine that helps them sleep. But, while these kinds of sleep aids may allow them to obtain several solid hours of sleep, the issue which caused them to have difficulty sleeping in the first place remains a conscious force the next day. Dale Carnegie once said, and I quote, "If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep."

The plain fact of the matter is this: worry never resolves anything; the
only benefit, sarcastically speaking, is that it contributes to health problems.

To Take Action
Now, I don't want you to think that all of the issues and concerns you may
have can be resolved by taking action. On the other hand, you must realize
that worrying does not solve, or lead to any kind of resolution. The act
of worry brings with it a tremendous amount of stress
that builds and builds
and builds eventually affecting a host of physical and mental troubles.

For example, if you are a constant worrier that constantly frets about not
having enough money to live on in your old age, you probably won't have
to worry about it for long. Why? Because you may, in reality, be negatively
impacting your own longevity. Worry constantly eats at your strength and
your ability to view life with any sense of zest or comfort. Worry starts to
affect your sleep which eventually can adversely affect your overall health
which, in turn, can lead you to be more susceptible to contracting a virus
or something even worse. Your body needs sleep; your body must have sleep
time to recover, to be less agitated.

Worry about money can also lead to living in squalid conditions. Here's
how I know that. A few years ago, a woman in her sixties fretted
and stewed constantly about money. She never bought a fresh loaf of
bread, never threw anything out even if it was weeks or months old left
uncovered in her fridge. If she was invited out to dinner, and if she had
to pay for it herself, she would order the cheapest meal possible, or
simply decline to order saying she wasn't hungry. She would rather be
hungry than pay for even a bowl of soup.

The sad thing is this: she could afford more than a bowl of soup; in fact,
she could easily afford to pay for her companions' meal. Or, if she
ordered a meal, she would eat a few spoonful's of it, and then ask
the waiter/waitress to put the rest in a take home styrofoam container so
she could portion it out for meals lasting several days.

And, even sadder was that because of her constant worry about money,
her health deteriorated more and more with every passing month.
In her case, however, she eventually went to live in an independent
living environment that she was comfortably able to afford.
Did she stop worrying about money? No. Why? Worry about money
became an obsession; a behavior repeated so often that it seemed to
become part of her norm.

Moving Beyond
Here is another example of needless worry. I'm positive you probably
know of a situation just like the one I'm about to tell you about.

It is a story about a man who was worried that he would lose his job.
He worked at a plant as a storekeeper. He had been working in the
same capacity for many years. And, while he had been satisfied with
his job the first two years, he had grown to hate it. He didn't like the job,
his boss, or the owner. His days were filled with unchallenging and repetitive
work. As he mechanically worked through the routine of the day,
his eyes constantly darted towards the clock hoping that by some
small miracle it would soon be time to leave and go home.
But, each day dragged on and on, the next becoming worse than the last.

Recently, he heard a rumor that a new computer system would soon
see his position being declared redundant and unnecessary.
He wasn't sure when he would be released from employment but he
was convinced that it wouldn't be too far into the future. Every night,
the same thing happened. Despite his best efforts to drown out the
rumors with continuous television shows before he turned in, sleep
didn't come. He lay in his bed worrying, fretting, getting angry, then
despondent. No matter what he tried to think about, his thoughts
soon returned to the prospect of losing his job.

It's obvious that worrying brings nothing positive in return. I'm convinced,
that at this point, you've probably been thinking that in the situation
previously described could be easily resolved. Truth is, you're absolutely
correct. This man's problem could be resolved if he took only one of
several options. He could approach is boss and see if there was another
position within the plant that he could be trained for that could demonstrate
his worth to the company. Or, he could take action by attempting to
find another position outside of his current employer by checking
the want ads, or the Internet ad offerings. Or, seeing that he detested
his current job, he could enroll in a part-time course over the Internet,
or through night classes that would train him in a new and interesting career.

The Common Thread
There is a common thread throughout each of the above examples. And, that
commonality is that every person has the choice
to worry or not to worry.
To those that worry please understand that your thoughts of potential doom
and gloom reside more within the confines of your mind than they do in reality.
That having been said, it doesn't follow that there will be or will come
some issues in life that will cause you to have concern. Take note, however,
that concern is not the same as worry. Concern expresses a feeling based
on one's life experience, whereas worry encompasses the lack of actuality.

In addition, to worry is to fail to acknowledge what one can or cannot do
to alleviate or eliminate that issue towards which worry is directed. In other
words, worry committed with resulting action is as useless as feathers
on an elephant - there is no connection between what is real and what is not.

Take action and worry not lest you be caught in the web of defeat.

Inspirational Quotes for Reflection:
"If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there
worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep."
Dale Carnegie